Bayerische Motoren Werkes: otherwise known as BMW...“The Ultimate Driving Machine”. To us gamers, we can also experience the 3 series as the ultimate DRIFTING machine as well. For this review, I'm focusing on the 3-series cars found in GT2 and GT3, only, as well as the 330i of GT4 and 5. Those two final games (GT4 and 5) also feature M-series cars, which are in a different league, and will get their own review. 

Though none of these Beemers can be accused of being high-powered, the 3-series in these games are as close as we're gonna get to sports car country, might as well get over the fact that there ARE no M series cars in GT2 or 3, thanks to EA's Need 4 Speed games, which had an exclusive contract with BMW when GT2 & 3 were in development. Wouldn't it be great to run an M1 in the World Cup? The All Stars Races? Take an M3 and clobber some Ai in the GT300? As much as I and others love the sedans and coupes found in the 2nd and 3rd games, they'll always remain suburbanite yuppy mobiles, even after getting a bit more power under the hood. They will rarely graduate to true high-paced racing stardom!

Although the stats above describe the most powerful of the 3s, this review will discuss all of the autos: the 320Ci, the 323Ci, 323Ti, 328i, 328Ci, and 330i.

In GT2, the 323 and 328 coupes are the best bet if you want the most action, since they get the most power and can accept racing kits, but honestly all of these Beemers have their place in the game, and we can bake in any of them. In GT3, there is only one BMW left from the parade of cars of GT2: the 328Ci. And GT4 and 5 feature a catch from the 4th generation: the 330i sedan. Any of the five  3-series machines mentioned before are from the 3rd-generation, not to be found as used cars. The only used version we can find at all won't be discovered until GT5, and it's still got a rather healthy (yet not staggering) pricetag.  

An early quick note. The 3-series is not for everyone, despite what you may have read in most major publications. It's a great car to explore if you've been playing Gran Turismo for awhile, but a beginner will more likely be frustrated by it once it's got some power.

The 3-series was introduced in 1975 and became BMW's most popular cars, but the distinctive grill is derived from the 1600, a car built in the '60s. The 1600 later became the 2000, which evolved to the famous 2002 series, and dammit this is the car I wish was in GT2!  When the 2002 became the 3 series (starting with the 320, I think), it gained weight and lost some of its ultra-nimble handling, but only some of it. Though we can't own a 2002 until GT4 was on our shelves, my guess is that it would handle similarly to the '71 Nissan Skyline in earlier games. Drivers who raced these early 2002s (as well as some of the 3-series) sometimes said that these BMWs were hard to break loose in turns, even though they are rear-wheel drive, which made them great for rallies in the age before 4-wheel drive. Same could be said for early Skyline racers, as well.  

Once weight is removed, racing a 320, 323, 328 in GT2 or 3 is rather like racing a Silvia or 240 SX, albeit with a bit more body roll. The 3-series cars are prone to oversteer, though mostly it's controllable and fun if you've got some skillz. The 330i of GT4 drives with just as much capability as cars from earlier games, minus the oversteer-on-demand. We don't get this back until the 5th game.  

 

 

The 328Ci will accept 3 stages of either normal tuning or turbos in either GT2 or GT3. It is of some note that a Stage 3 turbo costs 30,000 credits less than Stage 3 tuning for a 328Ci!  The 330i of GT4 and 5 accepts 3 stages of tuning, but no turbos. At best, its 3-liter will boast a healthy (but not supreme) 433 bhp with 352 foot-pounds in the 4th game, and a rather wanky 408 @ 7,400 with 311 @ 4,900 in game 5. We can still do plenty of damage with such power, but if we want to go farther, an M will be needed.  

Though they may lack out-of-the-box power, the good thing about these cars are the number of races they can enter, depending which game we've got. In GT2 with its horsepower limits, we've got a lot of choice. We can safely rule out the Kei Car races obviously, as well as the World Cup and other higher body-modified events, since 3-series cars in either game just haven't got the available power, but just about everything else is up for grabs. What the 3-series lacks in starting figures they make up in versatility. In GT4, again, there's a large list of events we can try. Clubman Cup, PD Cup, FR Challenge, Schwarzwald Liga B, many Special Condition races. Your 330i's credits will go a long way, my friend.

 

Only when we get to GT5 will we hit more of a wall during early events, since this car is too good for some races, but hasn't got enough power for others. Still, the FR Challenge, Supercar Festival (assuming we subtract lots of weight), Tuning Car Championship, PD Cup, Schwarzwald Liga B, European Championship, and some endurance races can be tried. So actually, that's a pretty nice list. 

All of the gearboxes we can find in any game will be useful somewhere; you shouldn't need a racing unit unless you're desperate for that perfect fit. I'm lazy, though. If I don't have to tune a gearbox, I won't. Same goes with the limited slip; the 3-series are built to perform, and I often don't install one of these....they seem to kill some of the fun.